Nonreusable decalcomania



Feb 21,1933. 6. R. MEYERCORD 3 9 IOIIRBUSABL! DICALCOIANIA H104 June 15;1932 j'/e fi%?-r 6222 aye Ewen cord STATES PATENT FFICE GEORGE E.MEYERCORD, OF CHICAGO, ELINOIS, ASSIGNOR Tb THE 'MEYERD 60., ErCORPORATION OF ILLINOIS NONREUSABLE DECALCOMANIA Application filed June15, 1932. Serial No. 617,814..

Decalcomanias are sometimes employed as revenue stamps on to evidenceother payments to governmental bodies. For example, in some statesrevenue stamps in the form of small decalcomanias are applied tocigarette packages. Although decalcomanias, when properly applied,cannot be salvaged without great difiiculty, and thus be used overagain, it is not impossible to detach them from the wrappers ofregenerated cellulose film such as is known, for example, by the tradename,

Cellophane. The object of the present invention is so to construct adecalcomania that the operation, which would otherwise separate it in anintact condition from a surface to which it has been transferred, willresult in so marring or damaging the paint or ink film that it can notsuccessfully be used a second time.

The amount of ink required to print a fiat I subject or design isso-small that it will not produce a self-supporting film and, therefore,it is customary either to print over the completed design with, whiteink until a relatively thick binding coat or backing is produced or toprint the binding coat and backing first and then print the subject ordesign on top of that. So long as the binding coat or backing remainsintact the subject or design will hold together; but, if a part of thebinding coat or backing be destroyed, the corresponding portion of thesubject or design will also be destroyed.

Therefore, in accordance with my invention, I so build the binding coator backing that it will possess the requisite strength to permit asuccessful transfer to be made; but, after the adhesive that holds it inits position of final use has set or dried. any attempt to peel thedecalcomania oif will result in breaking or tearing the binding coat orbacking and consequently in irreparable damage to the subject or design.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims: but.for a full umlcrstandingof my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a decalcomania of the type printed face up inthe condition in which'it is after the binding coat has been to printedon the gummed surface of the paper support; Fig. 2 is a View similar toFig. 1, of the completed decalcomania; and Fig. 3 is a section on line33 of Fig. 2, on a greatly magnified scale, only a fragment of the deeacalcomania being shown.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a sheet of paper or othersuit-able material such as is commonly employed as a carrier fordecalcomania films; the same having 6 on one face a gum coating 2 thatis soluble in water. On this gum coating I print a thin layer 3 thatserves as the background and binding layer of the transferable film. 0nthe binding coat or backing layer I print the subject or design 4. WhatI have just described is an ordinary decalcomania printed face up, whoseink film, composed of the lay ers 3 and 4., is adapted to becomeseparated from the paper sheet, upon wetting the latter; enough of thegum of the gum coating on the paper remaining on the ink film to permitthe latter to be securely united to a surface to which it istransferred.

In accordance with my invention, 1 so form the printing plate with whichthe bind ing coat or layer is printed that this coat or layer isweakened in one or more places so that, if it be attempted to peel ofithe film after it has been transferred, the bindingcoat or layer willbreak or tear at the weakened point or points, at the same time tearingor breaking the thin layer embodying the sub ject or design. I havefound that suflicient provision to make it impossible successfully tosalvage a transferred decalcomania film is afforded by forming in thebinding coat or backing layer a series or line of holes 5 distributed toform a border lying at some distance inwardly from the edges of the inkfilm. In actual practice, in the case of ink films about half an inchwide and three-fourths of an inch long, I have successfully employed asingle line or row of holes or perforations about a thirty-secondth ofaninch in diametor and spaced about one diameter apart; the holes orperforations bein distributed in the form of an oval ring. A ter theperforated binding coat or backing layer has been laid down, the subjector design is printed in the usual way, so that the only difl'erence overthe ordinary process of producing decalcomanias of the face-up type isin the plate or lates for printing the binding coat or bac ing layer soas to leave the latter with weakened sections or areas.

When it is attem ted to peel off the decalcomania after it has beentransferred as, for example, by forcing a razor edge between the inkfilm and the supporting surface, the peeling may progress until the lineof holes is reached. At this point, however, the resistance to liftingof the film is greater than the strength of the weakened portion of thebacking, and therefore the backing will break or tear and the subject ordesignwill be destroyed or at least marred to such a degree as to reventthe reuse of the device.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of myinvention constituting the appended claims.

c aim:

1. A decalcomania having a film to be transferred composed of a backinglayer and u a laver embodying the subject or design, the

backing layer having weakened parts to cause the film to be destroyed ifit be at- ;elrrigtled to peel it 05 after having been trans- 2. Adecalcomania having a film to be transferred composed of a backing layerand a layer embodying the subject or design, said bacln'ng layer having0 nings therethrough.

3. A decalcomania aving a film to be transferred composed of a backinglayer and a layer embodying the subject or design, said cation.

GEORGE R. MEYERCORD.

backing layer having a line of openings therethrough forming a borderdisposed a short distance within the periphery.

4. A decalcomania comprising a carrying sheet provided with a gumcoating, a transferable film adhering to the said coating, said filmconsisting of a backing layer and a layer embodying the subject ordesign, and there .ing numerous perforations throu h the backing layer.

5. decalcomania comprising a carrying sheet provided with a gum coating,a transferable film adhering to said coating, said consisting of abacking layer in contact.

with said coating and an overlying layer embodying the subject or desi,and there being a hne of openings in ti: backing layer formin a borderspaced apart from the 'odgeo thefilm.

